How Many Tomatoes Should Grow on One Plant?

Gardeners rarely count the tomatoes that they pick off of a plant. However, one disgruntled lady counted the tomatoes that grew on hers simply because she had paid a dear price for a packet of Suttons Tomato F' Tumbler seeds which held only six seeds. She was delighted with the yield of thirty to forty fruits per plant. She was pleased with over two hundred tomatoes for a family of five.

Most average size tomato plants give thirty to fifty usable fruits, while the larger plants with the bigger tomatoes may only yield two dozen or so. Heirloom plants, properly tended, often exceed this by a third or more. You may harvest two hundred tiny grape or cherry tomatoes. The count is only part of the equation though, as the size of a tomato can vary by as much as six pounds. Not including the cherries and little pears, regular table tomatoes weigh in between eight ounces and two pounds each. Some of the “Big Boys” weigh in at four pounds and more. It is easier to predict the size of your fruits than the number.

Proper timing, soil preparation and the addition of the necessary nutrients at the proper growing stage can drastically improve the numbers! Some products such as Gibberellic acid claim to be able to double the number of fruits per plant if sprayed or applied at the proper times. Mulching in hot weather and drip soaking tomatoes will give them a change to set fruit instead of using the energy to make protective leaf cover. Setting plants in the garden at the right time in the season increases yield, as night temperatures determine fruit set. Increase yields by covering plants with plastic at night during flowering, protecting the first blossoms.